Rancho Sonado

Rancho Soñado, the headquarters of Inside the Outdoors®, is an environmental education facility located in the Santa Ana Mountains. Surrounded by preserves and national forest, Rancho Soñado gives your students a chance to explore local ecology in a pristine environment. Ecosystems represented include a pond, a riparian area, oak woodland, and chaparral.

Curriculum enrichment for 5th grade:
California Science Content Standards Life Science, Earth Science, Investigation and Experimentation
3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 6a, 6b, 6f, 6g, 6h

Physical Education Standards Fitness Concepts, Body Composition, Aerobic Capacity, Social Interaction
3.2, 3.7, 4.11, 4.12, 4.15, 5.5

Fifth grade students explore the ecology of the Santa Ana Mountains through the following activities:

Step Outdoors
Students review the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and learn how to read Nutrition Fact Labels. They apply this knowledge in a “Shopping” game in which students have an 1,800 calorie budget to “spend” on food items of their choice, while monitoring the distribution of their food choices in the various Food Groups. Throughout the day, students use a pedometer to measure the number of steps they have taken.

Water Station
Students participate in hands-on activities in which they learn about the water cycle, the amount of fresh water available on Earth, and water reuse. Students also learn about the source of their local water.

Wetland Assessment
The students use the scientific method to determine if the nonliving factors present in a pond are suitable for sustaining organisms. Working in teams, they measure the temperature, pH, clarity and salinity of the water. They will also survey plant and animal variety. The students compile their data and develop conclusions.

Plant Labs
Students work in cooperative groups at six lab stations to learn how plants adapt to dry conditions in the chaparral ecosystem.

Energy/Food Pyramid
Participating in a demonstration and discussion of energy pyramids in ecosystems helps students understand the interdependence of living and non living things.